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Marie turns her life around in Haiti

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Marie turns her life around in Haiti

Marie Denis Pierre is a well-respected member of her community in Sou Platon, Haiti. Thanks to Concern's charity work, she now owns her own business and livestock. But life wasn’t always this good for Marie.

It was in Carries that she met her partner who had left his home island of Gonâve in search of work. They lived there together and built a small house. Her husband had a job selling drinks, earning about 10,000 Haitian gourde or €174 a year.

Forced to leave

They led a quiet life until her husband was accused of being involved in bad voodoo. As a result, they were forced to leave and went back to her husband’s hometown of Sou Platon on La Gonâve.

From there, matters got worse. She lived with her mother-in-law who quickly became hostile and asked them to leave.

Three meals a week

They left and started to live in a kind of makeshift shelter. In 2005, she gave birth to another child. By then she found it difficult to afford three meals per week for her other children. They bought food and second hand clothes on credit. Her husband worked as a daily farm hand, earning no more than €0.88 per day.

Dirty water

Each day, Marie Denis had to walk more than two hours to get a bucket of water that was dirty and unhealthy.

Life changing

As soon as Marie joined Concern’s Chemin Lavi Meyo Microfinance Programme her life changed.

She was able to borrow €17.60 from the programme to start a small business, buying three goats and eight chickens.

She was able to provide at least one meal per day, for herself and her family.

Acceptance in the community

The community now treats Marie with respect. She now has six goats owns a business and is planning to buy an ox next.

Women of Concern

Concern has established a group called Women of Concern. It supports work like this, with girls and women in the world’s poorest countries. Read more.